The Abernethy pearl, also known as the Little Willie pearl, is a

freshwater pearl Cultured freshwater pearls are pearls that are farmed and created using freshwater mussels. These pearls are produced in Japan and the United States on a limited scale, but are now almost exclusively produced in China. The U.S. Federal Trade Comm ...

discovered in the

River Tay The River Tay ( gd, Tatha, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing') is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in Great Britain. The Tay originates ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Scotland in 1967. The pearl is named after its discoverer, William Abernethy (1925–2021). It was previously known as Bill's pearl. The Abernethy pearl was produced by a

mussel Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...

belonging to the species '' Margaritifera margaritifera''. It is spherically shaped and coloured white with a slightly pink overtone. The pearl was reportedly valued at £10,000 in 1967 (). It is now displayed at the A&G Cairncross in Perth.

References

{{Mineral-stub Individual pearls